Botany and Ormiston Times : Howick and Botany Times Wednesday February 12

Contents

6 --- Howick and Botany Times, Wednesday, February 12, 2014
www.times.co.nz
125133
Sparks fly, grass lit
By Chris Harrowell
FIREFIGHTERS from four sta-
tions were called to battle a blaze
that broke out in a semi-rural part
of East Auckland last Monday
afternoon.
Crews from Otara, Howick and
Manurewa stations responded to
the grass fre in Masons Road, Dan-
nemora, at about 1pm.
Due to the large amount of water
needed to get the fre under con-
trol, a tanker from the Papakura
fre station was called in for addi-
tional support.
Otara fre station offcer Kenton
Rusbridge says his crew was at the
scene for more than three hours.
No people or livestock were
injured in the blaze, which is
believed to have started acciden-
tally when sparks from grinding
work carried out at a nearby hous-
ing construction site in Masons
Road got into grass.
Damaged was an area of grass,
toetoe plants, gorse and rubbish,
estimated to be about 20 metres
by 30m in size, on two privately-
owned sections.
“There are a couple of houses
on the other side of the street, but
there was no risk to properties in
the area,” Mr Rusbridge told the
Times.
“The construction workers tried
to put out the fre as much as they
could using a bucket. The area is
quite diffcult to get to with high
pressure water hoses because of
the slope and limited access.”
Mr Rusbridge says the fre was
brought under control with water
and forestry foam.
“It was essential to get the water
tanker there from Papakura,” he
says.
“We used 10 fre truck loads of
water.
“We’ve had fewer of these types
of incidents this year, as there’s
been more sporadic rain.
“The grass there [Masons Road]
is really dry, and the wind was fan-
ning it, making it spread.”
Mr Rusbridge says people should
avoid starting fres in restricted
areas.
The public is advised to phone
the fre service on 111 immediately
if a fre breaks out.
“When grass is dry, things like lit
cigarettes and sparks from grinding
can have a huge effect,” he says.
“Because we had so many crews
there, it meant there was less fre
protection for the rest of South-
East Auckland.”
Fire ghters were at the scene of a scrub re in Masons Road, Dannemora,
for more than three hours last Monday.
Times photo Wayne Martin
124956
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